Kingdom Hearts: Guardians Of Light
by A.M.Maddox
Summary: When Alicia is attacked by a swarm of Heartless, she gets plunged into a world she never dreamed of. With a new Keyblade in hand, she finds a Master in Riku, and the true meaning of inner strength and the bond that is friendship.
1. Chapter 1

Kingdom Hearts: Guardians Of Light  
By  
A.M. Maddox  
Chapter One  
"Fear Not…"

Darkness. There was darkness. And no light. She was surrounded by it. Drowning in it. Floating…..  
"_Fear not. For you hold the greatest power of all….._" She woke with a start. Eyes opening wide.  
"That same dream again-" She sat up in bed and rubbed her forehead. For two weeks now, Alicia had been having the exact same dream over and over again. Her doctor chalked it up to over working and long school hours. He told her to take a week off and get some good rest, but Alicia just couldn't afford that. She had way too many responsibilities. As it was, her week was split between her job, school, church, and family and friends. Alicia glanced at the clock on her dresser.  
"7:30." She muttered, and kicked the covers off herself. Sleep would have to wait. There was school to get ready for.  
It had been raining that night, and the sky was still dark with thunder clouds, and heavy fog, making it look like night still, when Alicia wearily walked out her apartment door. A deep roll of thunder sounded off in the distance overhead. Alicia walked to her car. The shadows of trees and buildings still cast long shadows in the early morning gloom, making the earth look like some strange half-light world.  
When Alicia was no more than ten feet from her car, she looked up. She saw something black and shadowy move under her car. It looked about the size of large cat or a small dog.  
"Shoo! Scat." Alicia clapped her hands to try and scare it away, but it wouldn't shoo. Instead, it hissed. Two large round yellow eyes appeared, staring straight at her. These were no ordinary cat's eyes. There was something inherently evil about the way they looked. Alicia paused. The creature crawled out from under her car. It was no cat or dog. It was something entirely different.  
It was pitch black, about the size and height of a three year old. It had a round body and a short, skinny neck, upon which, a perfectly round head bobbed, its glowing yellow eyes locked on its target. From atop its head, two feelers wiggled. The beast moved toward her in a strange jerking, swaying pattern. Alicia, was thoroughly freaked out.  
"Whoa-!" She backed away as the thing drew closer. Suddenly, the creature seemed to flatten itself against earth, making itself look lik drawing on a sidewalk. With lightning speed, it scuttled toward Alicia. When it was three feet from her, it popped up out of the ground right in front of her face.  
"Yeeeaaaarrrrgh!" Alicia swung at the beast with her backpack, knocking it aside. Alicia turned around and rushed back inside her apartment, locking and bolting the door. She backed up into the living room, eyes focused on the front door. Alicia's heart was in her throat. Fear racing through every vein in her body.  
"What was that?" She muttered, but then, she tripped over something. She stumbled, and turned around. To her horror, another black monster was crawling around at her feet, hissing and sniffing the carpet. Alicia then took a closer look at her living room and saw a nightmarish site; Swarms of these beasts covered the whole floor and the furniture. It was like a sea of black dotted with bright, glowing yellow orbs. Alicia shrieked, and tried to make her way back to the front door. But it was no use. No sooner had she seen the horror in her room, than the mass of monsters started to converge on her! They wrapped their little claws around her feet before she made it to the front door. Slowed by the extra weight on her heels, Alicia collapsed. The horde of little devils began to crawl over her. But, Alicia wouldn't give up without a fight!  
"_No-I'm not going like this-!_" Though the weight of the black demons began to crush her, Alicia struggled to her feet. And that's when it happened. Alicia was suddenly engulfed by a bright blinding light as white as snow. As it grew, Alicia felt warmth begin to spread over her body, and the weight of black beasts melted away. She like she was sinking through the floor. She tried to stand up, but couldn't get her feet under her. She was falling. Falling, again. But not through darkness, but through light.  
It felt like she was free falling though space; Alicia didn't know which way was up. She managed to right herself into a standing position. As she did so, she noticed that she seemed to be slowing down.  
"_Am I reaching the bottom?_" she thought. She slowed her decent until she came to a near stop. Then her feet lightly touched on something flat. Then everything went black. Alicia gasped as she was plunged into darkness. She was afraid to move.  
"Wh-Where am I now?" she whispered to herself. She shuffled her feet forward a little, and suddenly, a commotion erupted in front of her. It sounded like a flock of birds had taken off into the air. As the birds flew up, they revealed what Alicia was standing on; she was standing on a big circular floor. Alicia looked down to examine it, and gasped.  
"Oh my!" On the floor, Alicia's very own was etched. Next to her, in three smaller circles, were the faces of three of her closest friends, smiling back at her. A Celtic-style pattern bordered the edge of the floor, and in the border, were images of all the things Alicia liked; at the head of the floor was a picture of a violin. At the bottom, where Alicia was standing, was a picture of a horse. To the left, were the two acting masks, comedy and drama, representing the performing arts. And to the right, was a pen and book. The whole floor shone with a light that seemed to come from within, illuminating the floor like a stained glass window. The light from the floor was the only thing that shone in this black pit. Alicia was entranced by what she saw!  
"Am I dreaming? What is this place?" She wondered aloud. She walked to the center of the floor and then stopped.  
"_The closer you come to the light-the greater your shadow becomes. But fear not: for you hold the greatest power of all….._"  
"What-" Just then, a blinding light sprung up in front of Alicia.  
"Nergh!" she shielded her eyes, but just as quickly as it had come, the light was gone. In its place, floated a strange weapon. It looked like a giant key! And yet, it wasn't any ordinary key Alicia had ever seen. It was vary ornate and intricate in its design. The neck of the key was long and straight, with pattern etched into it that resembled the bark of a tree. The three teeth of the key were fanned out and looked like elongated oval shaped leaves. The neck was grey in color and the teeth were a deep emerald green. The handle of the key, which now looked like hand guards, looked like the prongs on a buck's antlers. The grip of the handle looked like carven stone. The pummel was set with a bright sapphire. A long chain made of leather dangled from the pummel and at the end of it, was a small Celtic cross. Alicia had never seen anything so beautiful! She walked up to it timidly, eyes wide. She cautiously raised her hand, hesitated, then wrapped her fingers around the grip. At once, she felt a warm connection spread from her hand, up her arm, and into her very heart. Alicia brought the Keyblade closer to face to examine it farther. But just as she did so, the floor under her completely shattered!  
"Oh no, not AGAAAAIIIN!" she screamed as she tumbled through blackness once more.


	2. Chapter 2

Kingdom Hearts: Guardians Of Light  
Chapter Two  
Riku

Alicia slowly came to her senses.  
"_What a dream…_" she thought. But then, was it really a dream? It seemed too real somehow. Alicia sleepily opened her eyes. As her world came into focus, her heart sank. No, it wasn't a dream after all. Alicia was lying on her side in the shade of a tall building. Alicia slowly rose.  
"Oh man, where am I now…" She rubbed her head and looked around. She was in what looked like a town. But everything was made of redish brown brick and cobblestone. The town seemed to comprise of close nit houses, all connected by cobbled streets and roads. The tracks of a trolley weaved through the town and a train could be heard in the distance. Alicia looked around. It seemed like a quiet, lazy town. Alicia deduced that she was in the town square; the trolley tracks circled around it and there was an ice cream shop, gift shop, post office, and a market stands dotted here and there. People strolled by, stopping at a store or two, or talking and laughing amongst themselves. Alicia tried to stand up. She was a bit shaky on her feet. Then, she remembered-  
"That Key thing-!" She looked down at her hands, but there was nothing there. Alicia turned to the sky. It was a clear, pale blue. Crows cawed nearby. Judging from the direction of the sunlight, it was late in the afternoon.  
"Well Toto, it looks like we're not in Kansas anymore." Alicia quoted, with a half-smile. Oddly enough, Alicia wasn't too particularly concerned about where she was. She assumed she was still on earth, if not still in America, for she could make out English being spoken by the denizens of this quaint place. Alicia dusted herself off, straightened her shirt, and strolled out into the open. She walked up to the gift shop. A middle aged gentleman with graying hair and a pipe between his teeth sat in the doorway.  
"Excuse me sir, but can I borrow your phone. I need to call my roommate. The shop keeper stared at her like she was speaking a foreign language.  
"A what t' call yer what?" He questioned through his pipe smoke. Alicia paused.  
"A phone…to call my roommate." She said again, slower this time. The shop keeper took out his pipe and looked her up and down.  
"What's a phone? We ain't got any of those." Alicia was none plused. Was this man pulling her leg?  
"c'mon, you're joking right? Everyone's got phones."  
The gentleman narrowed his eyes.  
"Yer not from 'round here, are ya?" he said with suspicion. That was when Alicia began to worry. This man was obviously not playing with her.  
"Uh, I guess not. Where am I exactly?"  
The man put his pipe back in his mouth and puffed.  
"Yer in Twilight Town, missy."  
A sinking feeling came over Alicia's heart. Twilight Town? She had never heard of a place like that before. She tried to gather herself.  
"Look, do you have anyone I can talk to? The police, a sheriff?"  
The shop keeper only shook his head.  
"Nope, we ain't got any of those either." Now Alicia began to panic. What kind of a town was this?!  
"Listen, I just want to go home. Is there anyway I can leave this place?"  
The shop keeper thought a moment, then said,  
"Well, there is th' train station. See that big ol' tower over yonder?" He pointed with the handle of his pipe toward the horizon. Alicia followed his line of vision. There, set against the low hanging sun, was a large tower. It rose above the skyline over everything else, like a great church. Two identical bell holds hung on either side of the building and a wide clock face, like the Big Ben Tower in London, reflected the sunlight.  
"That's where ya need t' go if ya wanna git outa here."  
Alicia sighed. It was going to take longer to get home than she thought.  
"How much is it?" She rummaged in her pockets for change.  
"Fer one ticket, its about 300 munney."  
Alicia looked up.  
"300 what? Munney? What's that?" The old man chuckled and reached into his pocket. He pulled out three gold coins and gave them to her. Each one had 100 marked on the face.  
"_They look like galleons from Harry Potter._" Alicia thought to herself, turning them over in her hands.  
"You can have 'em." The gentleman smiled at her.  
"Oh….thank you sir." Alicia put them in her pocket.  
"So, I just go to the train station, get a ride, and this'll take me out of town?" she asked. The old man nodded.  
"Sure will. But you'd better hurry. Its almost sunset. And once the sunsets, _they_ come out t' play." Alicia didn't like the way he said that last part.  
"They? Who are 'they'?" The man just shook his head.  
"I'd hate to see someone like you caught up with things like those. Best hurry on now." He shooed her away. Alicia had no idea who these things the shop keeper was talking about, but as she walked out of the town square, she noticed that the rest of the people were leaving too, and quickly, though they were still laughing and talking. As Alicia walked down the main road that lead to the Station Tower, she heard all around her, the sounds of windows shuttering and doors locking. And the sun was getting lower by the minute. If whatever these things were that came out at night were dangerous, then Alicia would need to get inside the tower, and fast! She broke into a run. Alicia could see the steps of the station. She could see the double glass doors leading into the building. She took the steps two at a time. Just as she was running across the main platform toward the doors, the bells overhead rang deep and low. They resounded over town, striking 6 o'clock. Alicia turned to look at the sun. It had started to set. At that moment, something hissed behind her. Alicia whirled around and there, at the top of the stairs she had just come from, was an eerie sight. A creature, vaguely humanoid in shape, stood before her. It was about her size and completely white. It had long thin arms, legs and fingers, which were bound together with black leather straps. Its long toes were wrapped the same way. It had a short neck and broad shoulders. Its head was oddly shaped; slightly rounded and flat on top, with a strange symbol that looked like an upside down incomplete heart. The front of the head came to an elongated point, and in place of lips, there was a zipper. The face had no eyes. The creature moved in a swaying jerking motion that made it look like some kind of ghost. The sight chilled Alicia to the bone. She stood there by the doors, frozen in fear. The thing hissed again, and made its way to her, rising into the air. It moved like the waves in the sea, undulating and weaving through the air at a fast speed. There would be no time for Alicia to make it inside. She braced herself for the attack, closing her eyes. Then she felt it. That familiar warmth in her right arm that seemed to be coming from her very heart. Alicia looked down and there in her hand, was the Keyblade from her dream, its leave like blades sparkling in the deep yellow light. Half out of instinct, she raised the weapon in front of her face and blocked the monster's attack, sending it back up into the air, hissing and spitting. It looped back around for another strike, and in that moment, more creatures like it appeared, seeming to rise right out of the ground under Alicia's feet! There were dozens of them now. They all came at her at different times. Alicia tried desperately to fend them off, wildly swinging her Keyblade in every which direction. Some of her blows landed on the white apparitions and they vanished in a puff of white smoke, but the others avoided her attacks and struck at her, scratching, clawing, and biting. They backed her up against the wall of the tower, all of them coming at her at once now. And Alicia was getting tired. Her arms were getting sore from holding the heavy weapon for so long and beating back her enemies. She was covered in bruises and cuts and bites. She could feel her strength leaving her every time she raised the weapon to strike.  
"I can't keep this up much longer!" She shouted to the air-like anyone would hear. Beat after beat-strike after strike-they kept coming at her, wearing her down until she was exhausted. Alicia finally collapsed to her knees, dropping her weapon in front of her. It was in that moment that a bright white light suddenly sprung up behind Alicia. She was too spent to raise her head, but she heard a great cry come rolling over head and a shadow leapt over her prone body. Alicia collapsed onto the brick ground, too weak to stand. She was vaguely aware of a battle going on right next to her; she heard the hisses and screams of the white monsters and the war cries of her unknown hero. She heard the high whir of a sharp weapon cutting through the twilight air and soft thuds as it landed on its marks, and then, everything grew quiet once more. It was like nothing had ever happened. Alicia tried to lift her head to see who her savior was; as her vision blurred, she beheld the figure of a tall young man. Long silver-white hair caught in the light breeze that had picked up and whipped around him, the dying evening light caught it, making his hair shine like a halo. The figure turned around to her, and everything went black.

Alicia felt herself wrapped in warm, soft sweetness. She came to, but didn't open her eyes just yet. This felt too good! Alicia perceived that she was in a large bed, with a thick fluffy pillow and soft comfy blankets. The bed was deep and warm, and Alicia sunk down into it.  
"Mmmm…..this must be heaven." She purred into her pillow.  
"Well, I don't know about that, but his beds are nice here-" a voice spoke from behind her.  
Alicia gasped and quickly sat up-bad idea. A searing pain shot through her side, sending her falling limp back into bed, moaning in agony as she clutched her side.  
"Hey, hey, calm down now. You're safe here, try not to move."  
Alicia felt a strong reassuring hand on her left shoulder. She turned her head and cracked open her eyes; sitting next to her, was the silver haired young man. He was reclining in a high backed ornately carven wooden chair. He was indeed tall, even though he was seated. His silver-white locks fell loosely and freely to his shoulders, and short straight bangs fell over his eyes, which were an intense green-aqua. Alicia's eyes opened a little wider as she studied him closer. He looked _very_ buff; he had broad rounded shoulders, toned biceps and a lean ripped waist. He wore a sleeveless black top that zipped up in the front, but part of the bottom was unzipped, teasing his midriff and belly button. The collar was turned up and over the black top, the silverette wore a sleeveless white jacket, the bottom and inside lined in yellow. In addition to this, he also wore baggy lavender purple pants with deep set pockets. The pants hung low on his hips, but were held in place by a belt encrusted with white studs. On his feet were white sneakers and on his left arm was a fingerless wrist sleeve that went half-way up his forearm. He smiled comfortingly at her.  
"And what boy band did you come from?" Alicia managed to croak out. The silverette frowned a little in confusion.  
"Huh?" His voice was even and calm, with a deep undertone to it.  
"N-never mind." Alicia gingerly raised herself up and leaned back against the bed's headboard.  
"My name's Riku." The young man said.  
"Riku. Alicia." Alicia responded. Riku looked her over.  
"Are you ok? You fainted before I could get to you. You were pretty beaten up." Riku sounded a little worried.  
Alicia checked herself; she was pretty stiff. Her side ached and her arms and legs were covered in bruises and scratches. Parts of her arms and legs and even her head were bandaged where the cuts were deepest.  
" I think I'll live." But just then, a spasm of pain shot through her side again.  
"Rrrrrrrgh!" She gritted her teeth, clutching her side again. Riku looked at her with deep concern.  
"Is it your side?"  
Alicia nodded, in too much pain to speak. Riku half stood up, but at that moment, a door opened and in came a most strange sight! If Alicia weren't in so much pain, she would have gasped at what she beheld; a broom stick stood in the doorway! The bristles of the broom were parted a little, giving the vague illusion of legs, and halfway up the handle, two skinny wooden arms and hands grew, carrying a tray.  
"Hey!" Riku said to the broom as soon as it walked in,  
"Do you have any pain potion?"  
The broom paused, then put down the tray on a table near the door and silently picked up a small yellow vial. It rustled as it moved and handed the vial over to Riku. He unstopped it and brought it up to Alicia's lips. She opened her mouth a little and he gently poured it in. It tasted like sour lemon. At once, the pain in her side began to ease. Alicia gave a relieved sighed and leaned back.  
"There, is that better?" Riku straightened up. Alicia nodded.  
"Yes, thanks you. I can breathe again." She smiled up at him.  
Riku returned her smile. The broom came closer to the bed with a thermometer in its hand. It checked Alicia's temperature, recorded its findings, checked her pulse, then left. Alicia looked up at Riku.  
" A broom? Really?" Riku chuckled.  
" I had to get used to it too, the first time I came here. But there are many more strange and mysterious things in Yen Sid's tower than just walking broom sticks." Alicia looked confused.  
"Yen Sid?" Then it occurred to her.  
"Hey, were am I anyway? And what happened at that train station? Am I still in town?"  
Riku sighed and sat back down, and told her what had happened.


End file.
